Namibia crown World Cricket League Division-2 title
Abeda AshrafEditor
Posted - 2019-04-28T11:08:10+06:00
Updated - 2019-04-28T11:08:10+06:00
Namibia are the new crowning champion of the ICC World Cricket League Division 2 gaining a comprehensive victory over Oman in the final in Windhoek.
On the back of their group stage defeat against the same opponent, Namibia grasped the win along with the division title.
Batting first, Namibia although lost early wickets, stood in strong ground on Karl Birkenstock's 61, his first notable score in the league.
Oman, too, have had a significant performance with their bowlers. Fayyaz Butt and Aqib Ilyas both captured a couple of wickets, Butt being the more economical.
In 50 overs, Namibia were restricted to 226 runs for the loss of 7 wickets.
Namibian bowlers, therefore, made the rampage enough to cut down 4 Omanis wickets as early as within 26 runs.
Khawar Ali (3), Jatinder Singh (0), Ilyas (11) and captain Zeeshan Maqsood (12) all fell within first eight overs of the innings.
Jan Frylinck finished with a figure of 5 for 13 bundling Oman for 81 runs while chasing a two hundred plus innings.
JJ Smit captured three wickets, taking the last scalp of Bilal Khan, caught behind, with Suraj Kumar top-scoring with 27.
Namibia's JJ Smit was adjudged Player of the Tournament, he said, “Everybody has worked hard for this and comes down to the whole team, not just me as an individual so I am grateful to the team, really pleased. The tournament was very memorable, last year we were all down and out, and this year to qualify and to get ODI status is perfect.”
Namibia Head Coach, Pierre de Bruyn said,
“I can't explain it, we have put such hard work in, I know it sounds like a cliché, but what we have achieved today for the nation is incredibly important."
"We have so much talent in this country, and its exciting times for Namibia cricket and I hope that every young player wants to be part of the system. Looking ahead to the next two years, these matches are the matches we want to play in, we want to grow and we need to go to the next level," he also said.